Loggerhead musk turtle: Difference between revisions

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{{Speciesbox

| image = Sternothernus minor.jpg

| image_caption = Adult, in captivity

File:| image2 = Sternotherus minor 347150719251017499 (cropped).jpg

| image2_caption = Young turtle, [[Florida]]

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

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}}

The '''loggerhead musk turtle''' ('''''Sternotherus minor''''') is a [[species]] of [[turtle]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Kinosternidae]]. This turtle has a large head which has a light-colored background with dark spots or stripes present on the head and neck.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Buhlmann|first1=Kurt A.|last2=Tuberville|first2=Tracey|last3=Gibbons|first3=Whit|author3-link=J. Whitfield Gibbons|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/263712429|title=Turtles of the Southeast|date=2008|___location=Athens, Georgia|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-2902-4|oclc=263712429}}</ref> The average size of an adult loggerhead musk turtle is about {{convert|3|–|5|in|cm|abbr=on}} in straight [[carapace]] length.<ref name=":0" />

The species is native to the southern [[United States]], being found in [[river]]s, [[wetland]]s, and [[stream]]s in the states of [[Alabama]], [[Florida]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref name=":2"/><ref name=RDB>{{EMBL species|genus=Sternotherus|species=minor}} www.reptile-database.org.</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|last1=Powell|first1=Robert|author-link=Robert Powell (herpetologist)|last2=Conant|first2=Roger|author2-link=Roger Conant (herpetologist)|last3=Collins|first3=Joseph T.|author3-link=Joseph T. Collins|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/913923783|title=Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America|date=2016|isbn=978-0-544-12997-9|edition=Fourth|___location=Boston and New York|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|oclc=913923783}}</ref> The diet of an adult loggerhead musk turtle consists mostly of [[clam]]s and [[snail]]s.<ref name=":7">{{Cite thesis|last=Pfaller|first=Joseph Bryce|year=2009|degree=MSc|institution=Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences|title=Bite-Force Generation and Feeding Biomechanics in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle, ''Sternotherus minor'': Implications for the Ontogeny of Performance|url=https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:176434/datastream/PDF/view|access-date=29 February 2024|via=DigiNole|language=en|s2cid=82423019}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Cox|first1=William A.|last2=Wyatt|first2=Steven T.|last3=Wilhelm|first3=Walter E.|last4=Marion|first4=Ken R.|date=December 1988|title=Infection of the Turtle, ''Sternotherus minor'', by the Lung Fluke, ''Heronimus mollis'': Incidence of Infection and Correlations to Host Life History and Ecology in a Florida Spring|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564348|journal=Journal of Herpetology|volume=22|issue=4|pages=488|doi=10.2307/1564348|jstor=1564348|issn=0022-1511|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

As of 2016 the [[conservation status]] of the loggerhead musk turtle is "[[Least-concern species|Least Concern]]", and its common threats include [[Habitat destruction|habitat loss]] and human interactions such as car or boating accidents.<ref name=":2" />

== Description ==

The loggerhead musk turtle gets its [[common name]] from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (''[[Sternotherus odoratus]]'').<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Conant|first=Roger|title=A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America|date=1975|___location=Boston|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=0-395-19979-4|edition=Second|oclc=1423604}}</ref>

[[File:Sternotherus minor 347150741.jpg|left|thumb|Adult underwater, Florida]]

[[File:Sternotherus minor 251017529347150741 (cropped 2).jpg|left|thumb|Young,Adult turtleunderwater, [[Florida]]]]

The loggerhead musk turtle gets its [[common name]] from its unusually large head, compared to the common musk turtle (''[[Sternotherus odoratus]]'').<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Conant|first=Roger|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1423604|title=A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America|date=1975|___location=Boston|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=0-395-19979-4|edition=Second|oclc=1423604}}</ref> Its head has a light-colored background with dark spots or stripes. Hatchlings are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in straight carapace length and grow up to around 3 to 5 inches (about 8 to 13 cm) by adulthood. Juveniles have three keels on the [[carapace]] that usually disappear by adulthood.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last1=Conant |first1=Roger |title=A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America |last2=Collins |first2=Joseph T. |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-395-90452-7 |edition=Third |___location=Boston}}</ref> The loggerhead musk turtle has [[Barbel (anatomy)|barbels]] present on the chin only, not on the throat.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" />

<!-- === Subspecies ===

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==Geographic distribution==

''S. minor'' is found in freshwaters of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.<ref name=RDB/><ref name=":2" />It occurs in the [[Ogeechee River|Ogeechee]], [[Altamaha River|Altamaha]], and [[Apalachicola River|Apalachicola]] river systems.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Iverson|first=John B.|author-link=species:John B. Iverson|date=1977-08-25|title=Geographic Variation in the Musk Turtle, ''Sternotherus minor ''|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1443269|journal=Copeia|volume=1977|issue=3|pages=502–517|doi=10.2307/1443269|jstor=1443269|issn=0045-8511|url-access=subscription}}</ref> <!-- ''S. peltifer'' is generally found throughout Alabama, east Mississippi, and east Tennessee and can be found in rivers such as the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] and [[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl]].<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":6" /> --> It shares parts of its range in southeast Alabama, west Florida, and west Georgia with the [[stripeneck musk turtle]] (''Sternotherus peltifer''), and both species can be found in rivers such as the [[Choctawhatchee River|Choctawhatchee]] and [[Perdido River|Perdido]].<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":6" />

==Habitat==

''S. minor'' lives in clean freshwater [[habitat]]s such as springs, [[stream]]s, runs, [[wetland]]s, [[pond]]s, and [[river]]s.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":2" />

== DietBehaviour ==

[[File:Sternotherus minor 34715074163437690.jpg|left|thumb|AdultNext underwaterto a [[brown water snake]], [[Florida]]|232x232px|left]]

[[File:Freshwater_snail_(19512479744).jpg|thumb|Freshwater snail|left|196x196px]]

It spends most of its time in the water with less time spent basking out in the sun than is observed in other species.<ref name=":92">{{Cite journal|last1=Cox|first1=William A.|last2=Marion|first2=Ken R.|date=1978|title=Observations on the female reproductive cycle and associated phenomena in spring-dwelling populations of ''Sternotherus minor'' in North Florida (Reptilia: Testudines)|journal=Herpetologica|pages=20–33}}</ref>

=== Feeding ===

The diet of the loggerhead musk turtle changes as it grows. Younger turtles have a more varied diet, eating [[insect]]s, [[snail]]s, [[crayfish]], and [[clam]]s while adults eat mostly [[snail]]s and [[clam]]s since adults are larger.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":3" />

The loggerhead musk turtle forages in [[stream]]s with sandy or vegetated bottoms with varying speeds of currents.<ref name=":3" /> It spends most of its time in the water with less time spent basking out in the sun than is observed in other species.<ref name=":92">{{Cite journal|last1=Cox|first1=William A.|last2=Marion|first2=Ken R.|date=1978|title=Observations on the female reproductive cycle and associated phenomena in spring-dwelling populations of ''Sternotherus minor'' in North Florida (Reptilia: Testudines)|journal=Herpetologica|pages=20–33|via=JSTOR}}</ref>

==Reproduction==

[[File:Sternotherus minor 63437690251017529 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Next to a [[brown waterYoung snake]]turtle, [[Florida]]]]

''S. minor'' is [[Oviparity|oviparous]].<ref name=":8" /> Between June and August, females can lay up to five [[Clutch (eggs)|clutches]] with one to four eggs per clutch.<ref name=":92" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Cox|first1=William A.|last2=Nowak|first2=Martin C.|last3=Marion|first3=Ken R.|date=1980-06-06|title=Observations on Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Musk Turtle, ''Sternotherus minor ''|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1563862|journal=Journal of Herpetology|volume=14|issue=2|pages=200|doi=10.2307/1563862|jstor=1563862|issn=0022-1511|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Larger females tend to have larger eggs and more eggs per clutch.<ref name=":92" /> Females lay their eggs on the shore, in holes {{convert|8|–|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} deep.<ref name=":92" /> Hatchlings typically have a carapace length of {{convert|2.47|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":92" />

=== Mating behavior ===

In the wild, [[mating]] takes place [[Underwater environment|underwater]] in shaded areas.<ref name=":4" /> Males exhibit several different behaviors during the mating process including [[cloaca]]l sniffing, bridge sniffing, mounting, following the female, biting, moving the head from one side to the other, and interlocking of tails.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal|last1=Bels|first1=Vincent L.|last2=Crama|first2=Yves J.-M.|date=1994-08-17|title=Quantitative Analysis of the Courtship and Mating Behavior in the Loggerhead Musk Turtle ''Sternotherus minor'' (Reptilia: Kinosternidae) with Comments on Courtship Behavior in Turtles|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1447183|journal=Copeia|volume=1994|issue=3|pages=676|doi=10.2307/1447183|jstor=1447183|issn=0045-8511|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== Conservation and threats ==

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== Gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="100190">

File:Sternotherus minor 251017405 (cropped).jpg|Young turtle plastron, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 251017451 (cropped).jpg|Young turtle plastron, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 25101749993031585 (cropped).jpg|Plastron, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 93031585112525157.jpg|Plastron, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 112525157112525165.jpg|Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 112525165112525146.jpg|Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 112525146112525152.jpg|Carapace, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 112525152333014484.jpg|Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 333014484347150719.jpg|Underwater, Florida

File:Sternotherus minor 347150719.jpg

</gallery>